The Game of Love
by mannuj
Summary: At Konoha High, there are a total of 500 students. Most of them look the same from their school uniforms. With 500 students, you wouldn't expect many different personalitites, but there were a few. You see, this school was not normal. Originally, it was tame, until a bunch of supernatural beings came along and corrupted it.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N: Here it is! I said August and it is August! Even if you don't like this couple, just try the story out. I would've made this a HitsuHina fic but they just didn't fit the concept I'm going for. Enjoy.)**

* * *

"Sakura-chan!" a male voice called.

A long pink ponytail swiveled around to the direction of the voice. Her large grass-green enlarged slightly. Her soft voice asked, "Hai?"

"Over here Forehead!" shouted a female voice.

The rosette scanned the crowd of matching students. Her eyes landed on two blondes waving their arms frantically. The male blonde had spiky hair and sea blue eyes. The female blonde had teal eyes and her hair in a high ponytail. "Ino-pig! Naruto! It's great to see you two again," she greeted.

The blonde female huffed, "Get it right next time! It's Ino to you."

Sakura held her arms up defensively, "Hai hai."

She looked behind her and grinned. "How are you Naruto?"

"I'm alright," was all he got out before the bell rang.

The three friends walked together to their first class. They took their seats in different corners of the classroom. Ten seconds before the final bell rang, a tall boy by the name of Uchiha Sasuke walked in.

He took his seat in front of Naruto on the far side of the room, away from the windows. He was one of the few new students who arrived two months ago. They included: Uzamaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuga Neji, and Hyuga Hinata. It appeared that ever since they enrolled, the whole school was roused. Before, Konoha High School was a giant group of students who knew each other and talked to everyone. Now, small groups formed with the students that shared the same interests.

A few minutes later, the teacher came in with a book in his right hand. He walked in, saying, "Well, students, please excuse me-,"

"LIAR!" Naruto accused, standing up.

"-for being late. I was helping a little old lady with her groceries-,"

"LIAR!"

"-across the street," he finished.

He gave the class an assignment to finish by the bell. He took a seat and immersed himself in his book. Students turned to talk to one another instead of finishing the assignment. Sakura took one glance at the paper before filling it out. She felt a vibration in her blazer's pocket. Ignoring it for the time being, she stood and walked towards the main desk.

She put the paper down and looked at her teacher in the eye. "Kakashi-sensei, I have to go toodle," she smiled. She waited for his response. He looked her in the eye and gave her a slight nod. She left, missing the way a pair of sea blue eyes and dark eyes stared at her.

Once outside, she ran through the halls. Reaching into her blazer's pocket, she pulled out a tiny phone. Flipping it open, she saw a black dot in the forest near the school. She ran out the front doors and out the gates. Through the thick greenery, her feet stopped by a bush. Pulling out a small bag from behind it, she took out a pair of shades and a small scalpel, and threw in her blazer. She turned and began running again.

The glasses covered her eyes and the scalpel was clutched in her left hand. She slowed down when the buzzing of the phone turned violent. Hiding behind a tree, she peeped at her target: a man in his forties. Her glasses gave her a full profile on his background. "_Hido Jin."_ Beside him, on the grass, was a brunette woman in her thirties. "_Go Mai."_ Her shirt was torn to reveal her shoulder. The man brought his mouth down to her shoulder.

Sakura looked through her glasses and saw another body approaching. Quickly pivoting, she stated, "Halt."

The man looked at her with playful eyes. "Why would I do that?"

Sakura defended, "You're surrounded." She carefully took two steps forward.

The man pulled Mai closer to him. "I'm hungry. Would you be willing to take her place?" he asked.

Sakura raised the scalpel and moved closer. The man's eyes intently locked on her feet. In an instant, Sakura ran towards him at full speed. Jin threw Mai at her and stepped away. Sakura lied the brunette down before following him. _Enemy in pursuit. _Her glasses displayed her same thought. The two went deeper into the forest. Through her shades, Sakura saw a wall ahead. _If he goes over that, he's escaped. _As Sakura's legs tired, her breath became ragged. She threw the scalpel at Jin as a last attempt to stop him.

The scalpel whizzed past his right ear. Fortunately for Sakura, he stopped and turned. He took one step forward and disappeared. Sakura wasn't surprised when she was tackled onto the grass. She didn't have any energy to react fast enough. She pulled on her tie until it was loose and grippable. Jin held her down by her shoulders. He looked at her and smirked. His body grew into a sick brown color. His hands, feet, and torso grew larger. His eyes turned white. Sakura saw the body approaching at an amazing speed from the school's direction.

All of a sudden, her glasses were knocked off. "Oh, what pretty eyes you have," he began. His yellow nails trailed her jaw. "I think I'll keep them."

Sakura grunted and clenched the tie. She raised her fist and punched him in the face. It didn't do any good to him. Jin opened his mouth, showcasing his yellow jaws. Sakura kicked him in the shin and pulled the tie to his eyes. Jin lowered his huge jaws to her face. Sakura scooted into the grass, keeping her hands behind his head for the tie to stay intact. Just when his posionous salivia was about to drip down, the weight was lifted off of her. Sakura sat up slowly and saw a dark orange werewolf mobbing Jin. Jin growled at first and then full-out screamed. When his voice ceased, the wolf turned to Sakura.

_"You need to tell me about these things Sakura-chan," _the wolf growled.

"I was fine Naruto," she assured.

Naruto's large werewolf eyes widened. _"You were almost killed Sakura-chan. If Tsunade baa-chan found out, she'd kill me before I had a chance to change."_

Sakura laughed. "I'm fine. Now, let's get back."

Naruto sighed. Sakura picked up her tie and scalpel. Naruto bent down so she could jump on his back. Once on, he sprinted to the bush where she kept her stuff. Sakura slid off and quickly fixed herself up. "Did they get Mai out?" Sakura asked.

Naruto hid behind a tree and retreated into his human form. "Yeah. The med team showed up and took her in. As for the other guy, he's being dispersed right now."

Sakura nodded. "What was your excuse this time?"

Naruto came out and grinned. "I had to eat ramen."

Sakura's mouth opened and her eyes sunk. "You had to _eat_? Kakashi-sensei let you go because you had to _eat ramen_? Ugh!" _I can't believe this! Discrimination, I tell you! Hmph!_

Sakura's eye twitched. "I'll see you at school."

Naruto shrugged. She started to head back first. She admired the greenery before sneaking past the school gates and into her class. No one seemed to mind that it took her fifteen minutes to return; no one except one pair of dark eyes. They followed her to her seat and lingered on her. Sakura sat down and silently waited for the bell to ring. Naruto barged in with a grin and took his seat in the corner. The two dark eyes followed his appearance. Naruto's shirt was crumpled and there were small traces of grass on his pants. The owner of the dark eyes scowled. When the bell rang, Sakura gracefully gathered her supplies and left.

It seemed as if time stopped when the last person rose to leave. Uchiha Sasuke stood and walked out the classroom doors. Neither he nor Kakashi looked at each other. He touched the door's edge briefly as he turned to the right, out the door. When the late bell rang, Kakashi headed out. He touched the same spot as the Uchiha's. His hand dropped and he kept walking.

* * *

The whole school was in the cafeteria at lunch. Some students were already seated while others stood in the long line to get their food. Sakura and Ino walked in with smiles on their faces.

"Save me seat, will you?" Ino asked.

Sakura nodded and headed over to a table by the large windows. She set her bag down on the ground and gazed at her surroundings. Between the buzzing students, she spotted a familiar one.

"Hinata!" Sakura called out.

A timid-looking girl turned abruptly from her place in line for lunch. Her pale white eyes widened. She blushed at the shout and shyly waved. Sakura cracked a small smile at her friend's display of action. Hinata was just too shy for her own good. Sakura turned to the table and took a seat. She felt as if someone was staring at her. _Who's..? _She turned and was faced with Naruto's smiling face.

"Hey Sakura-chan!" he shouted.

Sakura leaned back. "I'm right next to you baka; you don't need to shout," she said.

Naruto laughed as he took a seat across from her. Sakura sighed and took out her lunch container from her backpack. _There it is again. _Sakura put the box on the table right before she was forcefully pushed forward. Blonde hair filled her eyesight from both sides.

"Pig."

The blonde hair left her skin and Ino stepped to the side. "Forehead!" She looked over at Naruto and greeted, "Naruto."

As they settled down, Hinata came over. "Hey Hinata!" Naruto hollered.

Hinata blushed. "Come sit next to me!" Naruto commanded.

"H-hai Naruto-kun," she flushed.

She made her way towards his left side. In the time of lunch, a male with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle came to sit beside Ino. A girl with two brown buns on top of her head sat next to a male with long, brown hair, and the same pale white eyes as Hinata's. Everyone was ecstatically talking about their classes and how much homework they had. Sakura felt a pang in her head. _Gah. It won't stop. _She excused herself and headed outside.

She took a seat on the cool grass beneath her. Her head leaned on the tree behind her. "Show yourself."

It was quiet; everyone was inside having lunch. A rustle was heard before a figure dropped down from the tree behind her. The shade of the branches made it all the more easy to define who it was. Sakura looked up and stated, "Shizune."

The said lady greeted, "Good evening Sakura."

"Evening," Sakura said.

"Tsunade wants you in early today."

Sakura simply nodded. "I'll be there right after school. Arigatou."

Shizune nodded and she shun'poed in a flurry of leaves. Sakura sighed and looked at the blue sky. Right before she closed her eyes, she heard the door open. "Come on Forehead! Everyone's waiting for you inside," Ino hollered.

Sakura grinned and dusted herself off. "Coming Ino-pig!"

A vein bulged on Ino's temple. "Why you little-,"

Sakura laughed and thwacked Ino's forehead before scurrying inside. The doors closed and the wind picked up. A figure stood where Sakura and Shizune's interaction had been moments before. "Sakura..."

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**(A/N: Ta-dah! How was it? Hmmm, I wonder who that figure was in the ending. Haha. Leave a review! I'd like to know your thoughts before I continue on. :D )**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N: Wow! I've received so many followers in such a short time. Thank you so much! Thank you _sakuraflowerstar_ for favoriting this story and _Peppei_ for reviewing. I won't be revealing anything from the plot. You'll find out as the story moves along. This chapter is to show the background of the characters Sakura's conversing with in the first chapter. Understand that I have school soon and I won't be able to make regular updates, but for now enjoy this chapter!)**

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Sakura walked to her last class of the day.

"Yo Forehead!"

Sakura turned and twitched at Ino. "Sometimes I wonder how we're friends."

Ino grinned. "Don't you remember?"

Sakura scoffed, "Of course I do."

Their mothers were best friends since high school. They did (and still do) everything together. When they married, they chose houses next to each other so they could stay in touch forever. It was funny how their husbands never notcied what was happening. When Ino and Sakura were born, they'd play together whenever one went to the other's house.

Ino laughed. "In a way, it was impossible for us not to be best friends."

Sakura smiled and stepped foot into the classroom. She sat in the first seat she saw at the front row. It was simple logic as to why she sat there: the ones who sat nearest to the door got out the quickest. Sakura had to use this as her advantage if she wanted to meet Tsunade on time.

As the late bell rang, Sakura straightened her posture and waited.

* * *

Sakura slammed her locker shut and sprinted out the doors. An orange car awaited at the turn-around area for her. She thew herself in the passenger seat and looked at the driver.

"Get going Naruto," she hissed.

He looked at her and asked, "Why are you so afraid of Granny?"

"I'm not; I like to be punctual. Now, get going."

Naruto revved the engine and put it in drive. Tsunade was _not _a patient woman; she couldn't be messed with. If they arrived a minute later, she'd post their heads on a plaque with the heading, "Best but Not Punctual." Sakura never wanted to face Tsunade's wrath.

Sakura clutched the handle of the door as the car swerved side to side. _Naruto is by far the worst driver I've ever met in my life. _The car braked near the curb of the government buiilding. They had exactly one minute to travel to the lowest basement level. Sakura got out and headed into the building. She looked back and saw Naruto stretch.

"Oh my God! Come on baka!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto sighed and followed her inside. The officials looked at the two with weak smiles. They knew how predictable Naruto was and how he always caused a ruckus. The elevator dinged and Sakura dragged Naruto inside by the ear. She quickly pressed a code onto the dial pad. The elevator moved to the right. The elevator was a technically built compartment- it would change directions so it was harder for someone to leave and enter.

As the elevator reached the final descent, Sakura pulled Naruto out to the only pair of double doors in the hallway. Naruto didn't bother knocking, he pushed the doors and smiled. His smile was met with a vase thrown at his head.

"AH Granny! What was that for?"

"You were late!"

Sakura bowed and apologized on his behalf. "What did you want to see us about?"

Tsuande cleared her throat. "We need to discuss the kemono quantities."

"The beasts," Sakura repeated.

"Yes. All of a sudden, there are more coming from the outskirts of Konoha. I need both of you to find out where it's coming from."

Naruto was the first to ask, "That's all?"

Tsunade verified, "That's all."

Sakura's eyes furrowed. _That doesn't sound right._ Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Great! When do we start?"

"Tomorrow." Tsunade's fist boomed on her desk. "Dismissed."

Naruto turned his back and opened the door. "Bye Granny!" He shut the door before she could throw another vase at him. Sakura shook her head in laughter and took a good look at her mentor. She remembered the first time she was recruited and how she met the people who were now close to her.

* * *

_"Run Haruno! You're nearing the finish line!" _

_Sakura picked up her speed as she jogged through her fourth and final lap. She was the only female in the mile competition. She was light on her feet; her advantage to finishing first. The ones behind her were on their third lap. _

_"Let's go Forehead! You got this!" _

_Sakura pushed herself when she saw the finish line tape in the distance. Her lungs began retracting quickly as oxygen was becoming harder to exchange with her exhales. __I'm almost there.__ Sakura pushed her last amount of energy into her calves and sprinted towards the tape. Her body cut through it, ending the candidates for first place._

_"Atta' girl!" _

_Ino ran over and handed her a bottle of water and a small towel. Her coach presented her with a small trophy and raised her arm up high for the school reporter who came rushing to take her picture. _

_"Haruno, Haruno, Haruno!" the crowd chanted._

_Away from all the smiles and cheers, a woman with blonde pigtails appeared from the corner of the bleachers. She simply smiled at Sakura and handed her a business card before leaving. _

_All of the enthusiasm and excitement slowly wore out. Sakura headed home to the lockers to shower and look presentable. The card was still clutched in her hand when she locked the door to the stall. __Tsunade? Isn't she one of the officials of the government?__ Sakura freshened and decided to head to the address on the card to settle whatever she wanted. _

_Having Ino take her to the tall building, there was a man in a black suit waiting outside. He stared expectantly at the car and motioned her to go inside. Sakura told Ino to wait outside before heading inside the open doors. "21," the man stated without looking at her._

_Sakura pressed the elevator button to go down. She entered the number onto the dial pad and felt the elevator shift to the right before its descent. Once there, she knocked before walking through the doors. Tsunade stood with a blonde male._

_"Hi," Sakura said awkwardly. _

_Tsunade looked at her. "Sakura, welcome."_

_The male turned around to face her. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm a werewolve!" he grinned brightly._

_What the..?__ Tsunade smacked the back of his head. "Sakura, you've been selected to be a part of the government's Special Forces. You've qualified because of your physical ability and strong personality." _

_Sakura took a step back. "Special Forces?"_

_"They're elite beings who help the world stay away from distress and to keep peace."_

_Sakura took a step back. __I don't have time for this.__ "Thank you for the offer, but I-,"_

_"Oh come on! It's gonna be so much fun!" Naruto exclaimed. __I don't even know if I can trust someone who believes they're a werewolve._

_"There are many from your school who've joined us. No one will expect a thing," Tsunade assured._

_Sakura's decision was bending. "Come on Sakura! Just imagine the adventures we'll have together! I'll protect you, dattebayo!" _

_Sakura showed them her back. She walked out. "Just one thing..." Sakura opened the door and waited for the sentence to finish. "You can't tell anyone of this. You report for training tomorrow everyday after school," Tsunade demanded._

_Sakura shut the door._

* * *

"I'll see you tomorrow Naruto," Sakura waved.

"Bye Sakura-chan!"

Sakura sighed and walked to her small yet compatible apartment. Tomorrow was a big day for her. Right after school, she would have to go search the unknown source of kemono. Sakura went up the steps of the main building and opened the wooden door. As soon as she stepped in, the atmosphere felt ominous. Sakura's hand quickly switched on the light and she saw her living room items exactly where she had left them.

Sakura's backpack fell to the floor, as her nimble feet glided on the hardwood floors. "I know you're here."

There was no response. Sakura's knees bent in a low squat. _There's only one way to find out if someone was here. _Her hand reached to the wooden panel on the floor. Her index finger swiped over one of the lines, causing a string to detach itself from the floor. The string flew in every direction of the apartment. A loud _whoosh _sounded from further inside.

Sakura's feet carried her to her room to find the window open and the moon as a light source. She looked down and saw a dark figure sprinting at an impossible speed. Sakura's eyes widened. _An illusion! _Sakura turned in time to avoid a fatal hit to the back of her neck. She side-stepped and jumped onto her bed. The dark figure gave her no time to recover, heading straight to tackle her. Sakura jumped away and pulled at one of the strings on the floor.

The figure dodged the sharp line from pushing him to the floor. Both people stopped. "Who are you?"

The figure looked up at her and made a dash for the open window. Sakura gasped and followed but lagged when an arm pushed her back. _Shit!_ She landed safely on her patch of strings. It was as if the intruder planned everything. The way the person moved, how they appeared to ambush her, the way they pushed her back, and how they made a safe landing for her. _That was no coincidence. _Sakura sighed and flipped on the button of her lamp.

The room looked exactly the way she'd left it in the morning. The strings covered every inch of the floor. Sakura's keen eyes spotted a drop of blood on one of the sharp lines. _One drop? Just what is going on? _Sakura retracted the strings and sighed. She took a parchment of paper and wiped off the blood. She kept the paper in her hand as she changed and went into her kitchen. Leftovers from yesterday were warmed up and ready to eat.

Sakura made sure all windows and doors were shut before relaxing. _Who could that be? _Sakura went to bed after washing up. The paper was placed in her pajama waistline. _The intruder is bound to show up to hide any evidence of their identity. _

Sure enough, near midnight, Sakura felt the blankets rise from her body. She turned and felt one large hand grab her wrists above her head and one on her stomach. Sakura opened her eyes and reversed the positions of the abductor. Judging by the hand's width, she'd say her abductor was a male. The man shoved her away and reached for her waist. Sakura slapped his hand away and scooted back.

"Stop! Tell me who you are, and I'll destroy the proof," she negotiated.

She _felt _the man smirk. He wasn't going to buy it. He tackled her and rested his palm on her elastic band. His fingers pulled out the paper. She pulled him off of the bed and to the floor. She straddled his legs and grabbed blindly for the parchment. Once she was sure it was in her grasp, she got up, only to be pulled down again.

The man grabbed the paper and flew out her window. Sakura was quick on her feet and followed him out to stop and see him sprint across the street. She saw the back of her attacker's hair- it was spiked up in the back. _Where have I seen that before?_

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**(A/N: That's a wrap! Whew. I wanted this out before I went to bed. Review and tell me what y'all thought about it. Bye bye.)**


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